


Chemistry

by AniZH



Category: Victorious
Genre: F/M, Getting to Know Each Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7080865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniZH/pseuds/AniZH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade scores the lead role of a play in school, right after she has passed the Bird Scene. But the older school mate, who has written the play and will direct it, isn't able to find a male lead that works with her - until Beck comes along. [fic of Bade getting to know each other]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Auditions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again!  
> Here is the first chapter of my new story about how Beck and Jade possibly could've gotten to know each other. I think it will go into five chapters and I will be able to upload once a week.  
> I hope you'll like it - have fun reading.

“Is it true?”  
Jade looks up from her bag, being in the process of checking if she has everything necessary for her homework, to see Cat bouncing up and down next to her.  
“What?” she asks harshly. She never likes someone just coming up to her and talking about something as if she has to know about what. Cat does that surprisingly often and Jade hates it.  
“Everyone says you passed the Bird Scene,” Cat says.  
Jade can’t help but smile. She quickly forms it into a smirk however. “I have.”  
She knows that a lot of other freshmen have already tried and haven’t passed yet. She hasn’t understood why until Sikowitz has explained to her the whole deal about the Bird Scene – after she has told him she wouldn’t do it again because he has said he liked it and wasn’t able to say how else she should do it.  
Now, she has been the first to pass that stupid challenge and yes, she is proud of herself for that. Especially because she gathers that it doesn’t happen very often that anyone passes on their first try.  
“That’s amazing. Congrats!” Cat says and wants to go in for a hug but Jade pushes her away. She may have finally given up and accepted Cat’s friendship but she definitely isn’t ready to hug her any time just like that. Though, she will come to appreciate Cat even more over the next few days as others in their year approach her and ask her for help with the Bird Scene while Cat never once asks about how to pass it.  
She finally closes her locker and it’s in that moment that someone approaches them, an older boy who smiles at her: “Hello. I’m Thomas. You’re Jade West, right?”  
She just looks at him darkly. She doesn’t know what he wants from her. She doesn’t like smalltalk. She hasn’t noticed him before and doesn’t feel like getting to know him now.  
Cat answers happily though: “Yes, she is.”  
He only shortly looks at her, then back at Jade in a way as if he’s checking her out. “My friend Sonia saw you do the Bird Scene. She has helped me write my play which I’m having auditions for at the moment. I have a special type in my mind for the female lead and Sonia has told me you could fit that type. From what I see that could be true. And as you have passed the Bird Scee, you can audition. I would really like you to come audition for my play.”  
Jade hasn’t expected that at all. Is someone actually really inviting her to audition for their play? Although she’s a freshman?  
She forces herself not to smile, not to get excited about it while Cat claps happy in a way as if she has been asked.  
“Which play is this?” she asks.  
She has already looked through the list of plays and musicals for this semester, all the ones the school itself does, the teachers, and all of those the students already plan to do. She has a handful she wants to audition for because they sound interesting enough. She doesn’t just want to be in any play if she doesn’t have to.  
The older boy smiles. “Poisonous Revenge. It’s about a young woman who meets a young man and they appear to fall in love with each other but as it turns out both were born into old rival families and her father has raised the woman to revenge her mother who has been killed by the boy’s father. As revenge she is supposed to make him trust her and then slowly poison him. In the end they are in love though and both die. That’s the short storyline. Are you interested?”  
She wouldn’t have needed the summary at all. That’s one of the plays she has wanted to audition for anyway. But she has read that the play-write – Thomas obviously – is a senior and she has asked herself if he would really be open-minded enough to even consider a freshman for the lead or any other important role. Not to mention that she would have guessed the auditions are more of a formality for most of the students as most probably already have casted their friends in their minds, especially for the main roles.  
“Of course,” she now answers honestly.  
He nods. “Great. I hold some more auditions for the leads tomorrow at lunch break in the Blackbox Theater. I would love to see you there.”  
He pulls a flyer out of his bag and gives it to her. It’s a flyer to advertise the auditions for his play. From the dates it seems he has already had auditions today. Apparently, he hasn’t been successful.  
Then, he leaves them and Cat promptly hugs Jade again. “That’s amazing!”  
Jade doesn’t push her away this time as a wide smile spreads over her face.

Thomas and his two friends applaud her after her audition and Thomas says she definitely gets to be the female lead. She can barely believe it. She has pretty much just started to attend Hollywood Arts and already is the lead in a play.  
Now, they just have to find the perfect counterpart for her.  
He considers two guys and they all meet up the next day but it just doesn’t work. Thomas says he will hold another round of auditions next week.  
She always is there at the auditions as well and does the meeting scene with everybody who comes in but Thomas is never satisfied and Jade gets frustrated. She also thinks it doesn’t work with anybody though barely anybody who comes in is a bad actor. Quite the opposite. And she knows she’s supposed to be good enough to fake chemistry with everybody, to make it work with everyone but as it seems she isn’t good enough yet.  
A week later, after every other role has been casted but they still miss the male lead, Thomas pulls her aside.  
“Jade, I’m sorry but I don’t know what to do. You’re definitely my Lindsay. You completely embody what I have had in mind when I wrote that play. But it just doesn’t work with any of the guys. I don’t know. You kind of... overshadow them or drown them out or something. I thought about changing some of the roles, like having Tony play Sam” – Tony is one of Thomas’ friend and he plays the role of Lindsay’s father. He and Jade do work very good together in those roles. – “but while you work great together as daughter and father, I also think he would get lost next to you as Sam. So maybe, I have to let another girl play the role and only have you be the understudy, just in case. I can’t have my perfect female lead if there’s noone I can put next to that for the male lead.”  
Jade swallows and feels like kicking something. It’s not her fault that they can’t keep up with her! Why does she have to give up her role?  
Though she knows she still has to learn to work together with everyone, to hold back in one way or another if needed. She can’t do it yet and she also doesn’t understand why she really has to.  
“We will have some more auditions on Monday,” Thomas goes on when she doesn’t say anything. “But then we really have to start rehearsing. It’s only a month left now. So, either someone will come and work with you or you have to give up the role. I’m really sorry.”  
“Whatever,” she answers because she can’t say anything else, then she leaves. Oh, how she hates everything!

She’s late on Monday for the auditions but she also doesn’t really care. If she gets downgraded to understudy, it’s not necessary to always be there, right?  
“Jade, perfect timing,” Thomas says though when he sees her and waves her closer. “I have someone I want you to read the meeting scene with. You probably know each other. He’s a freshman as well and has just passed the Bird Scene on Friday.”  
Jade already sees him. Beck Oliver. Oh, and she does know him. They have several classes together.  
Beck is so good-looking that even some senior girls flirt with him in the halls and apparently want to date him. Furthermore, he is so nice and polite that it sickens Jade.  
He’s that sort of perfect guy which unsettles Jade because nobody is perfect and usually, if someone appears to be, there’s always something they are hiding. There’s always something deeply wrong with them. Like that guy who’s two years older than her and with whom she has gone on two dates last year until he has shown that he didn’t get the meaning of the word no. Luckily, she has been strong enough to overpower him and leave his house before anything too bad happened.  
Which unsettles her even more about Beck is the fact that she’s attracted to him as well, that she feels curious about him. She doesn’t like that sometimes their eyes meet and once, she has quickly looked away like every other teenage girl, almost blushing. Since then, she has just raised her eyebrows whenever their eyes have met – which does happen a lot. She doesn’t know what his problem is.  
And now he is here and possibly her last chance to keep this role. Fantastic.  
Thomas introduces them, then sits down and tells them to do the meeting scene.  
Jade doesn’t even bother to get her script of the play out. She already knows the meeting scene by heart.  
Beck has the script in his hand, of course also only has gotten it a few minutes ago, and smiles at her as they move to the front.  
Jade puts her bag down but keeps the coffee in her hand. She hasn’t done the scene with props yet but maybe it works better, maybe that will make this Beck guy more convincing in one way or another. She also gets a few papers out of her bag. Funnily enough, Beck also promptly grabs some papers out of his own bag and also has the necessary props because of it.  
She realizes her phone is still in her bag when they already start but she can also pretend about that like she always did before. So she looks in her own hand as if the phone was in it while she starts walking, the papers under the arm which hand also holds the coffee cup. Beck starts running at the same time from the other side of the stage and they bump into each other as planned.  
Jade lets her papers and her coffee cup fall which is almost empty anyway and Beck drops everything except his script as well.  
“I’m so sorry,” Jade instantly says her line, looking to the mess on the ground while they both go on their knees to pick it up again.  
“No, no,” Beck says. “It’s my fault.”  
And as (cheesily) scripted, they both grab the same paper and look up into each other’s eyes. Jade hates this cliché moment but it’s all good in the end as it turns out her character has planned the exact meeting in this chliché way.  
So, of course, she also smiles first and Beck instantly smiles back. That is also scripted but somehow it makes Jade’s heart pound faster and for a moment she wants to look away again but she just can’t. She blushes and hopes badly that noone notices and if they do that they assume she is just that good of an actress to make herself blush for the character.  
“Hi,” Beck then says as Sam.  
“Hi,” Jade gives back and sounds too breathless and almost forgets her line after that’s so easy: “My name is Lindsay.”  
She extends her hand and Beck finally looks in his script again, then to her hand, before he takes it.  
“Hello,” he says the line without having to look into the script again. “Sam. I’m really sorry about this.”  
They let go of each other’s hands and Beck makes a gesture over the mess.  
Jade shakes her head. “Don’t worry.” She takes the coffee cup in her hand and uses a coy smile when she looks back up to Beck – who returns the look in that way as if his character is just falling in love. “Though you made me spill my coffee.”  
Now, he looks down to his script once more while they finally stand up, both with all their papers in their arms again, she also with her coffee cup.  
Then, he suggests as Sam: “I could buy you a new one.”  
And Lindsay knows he doesn’t have much time, has studied his whole calender for months, and therefore says: “I’d love that though I have to get to a meeting now. Maybe, we can meet up later though?”  
“Absolutely,” Beck answers as Sam and it sounds so happy and elated that Jade wants to be Lindsay for a second there.  
“How about we meet in two hours in the coffee shop across the street?”  
“I will be there,” he promises and she smiles before she passes by him. She practically feels him looking after her like he is supposed to, when Thomas already starts clapping and his friends and the rest of the cast who have come to watch the auditions join in.  
Jade turns to look to Thomas who stands up with total excitement in his face: “That’s what I was looking for! That’s the chemistry I needed for the play to work. You two get the roles.”  
“Thank you,” Beck says and Jade looks to him to see a bright smile on his face that makes him look ridiculously more attractive.  
Thomas nods and steps on the stage to, looks at the two of them but also at everyone else who is here and involved in the play: “I’ve scored the Theater every Wednesday and Thursday after school starting right this Wednesday. We have less than a month to get ready. Everyone should learn their lines until the week after next at the latest. And I need you two” – now he is just speaking to Beck and Jade – “here for every rehearsal. And you really need to put everything into this. It’s a very important grade for me. You think you can handle that?”  
Both of them nod and then they are free to go.  
Jade grabs her bag and thinks about where she might find Cat to tell her that she really has the role while she leaves. She instantly notices Beck following her.  
“What?” she asks, stopping in her tracks and turning to him.  
He also stops but with a smile. “I just think it’s amazing, don’t you? The lead roles in a senior’s play as freshmen.”  
Does he really want to do smalltalk now? No, she won’t do that with this guy.  
She just raises her eyebrows and then leaves him standing there.

Beck looks after her. Jade West really is something different.  
She isn’t like other girls. Everybody probably has noticed that the very first second she has walked through the doors of Hollywood Arts. Beck has noticed and has tried saying hi but she has ignored him.  
Beck on the other hand can’t help watching her. Sometimes, it feels a little creepy but he loves watching her walk through the halls or being bored in class.  
And funnily enough, every now and then their eyes meet which means that Jade does look at him too, doesn’t it? Though she never looks happy when their eyes meet – nor embarrassed or anything. She usually just raises her eyebrows which is even more interesting.  
Yes, Beck wants to get to know this girl who is so different and special. Her passing the Bird Scene on the first try makes her even more interesting.  
As soon as he has passed (on his second try), he has known he wanted to audition for Poisonous Revenge. He has heard that Jade (who people talk about now because of her passing the Bird Scene on her first try as the only freshman this year) is the female lead in that play – and that they’re still looking for the male lead. He has also read what the play’s about and it sounds pretty interesting and he definitely could see himself as Sam, even likes the role very much.  
So, of course he tries out for it and feels elated now to have gotten the role. It is amazing to have gotten a lead role so early in his run at Hollywood Arts. He’s sure that’s unusual.  
But he hasn’t just gotten this great role out of this – he will also get to spend some time with Jade. And he’s excited to see how that goes.


	2. First run through

Everyone meets in the Blackbox Theater on Wednesday after school.  
Thomas wants them to do a full run through first. Everyone has their scripts in their hands as they act out the scenes for the very first time.  
Lindsay and Sam have drunk a coffee together and it’s the next scene for the two of them together that plays that afternoon where Lindsay rings Sam’s doorbell. They haven’t agreed to meet again but have exchanged their full names and their phone numbers. And Sam has casually mentioned where he lived. Lindsay has known his address either way but now, she is able to just show up at his place without him wondering.  
“I’m sorry I just showed up at your door step,” Jade instantly says as Lindsay as soon as Beck has opened the door as Sam.  
Beck makes a surprised and yet happy face as he answers with his lines: “No, sure. Come in. Want a drink?”  
She passes by him. “Do you have coffee?”  
“At this time of day?” Beck says as he follows her over the stage.  
She gives him a smile over her shoulder. “Always?”  
He smiles back just like he is supposed to and it makes Jade feel a little sick because it instantly warms her heart. Every one of his oh so perfect smiles warms her heart and she hates it.  
She turns back around and sits down on the couch – the only big prop on the stage for this scene except for the door and the coffee table in front of the couch.  
Beck pretends to make coffee and gets two cups out of the back that he puts on the coffee table. “So... Is there a reason for you coming here?”  
“Do I need a reason?” Jade says as though she feels offended.  
Beck shakes his head as he sits down next to her. “No. I’m sorry.”  
Jade pretends to take a sip out of the cup watching Beck closely as the scripts tells her to do while Beck looks down on his own cup.  
Finally, she speaks up again: “Do you wanna know why I came here?”  
“Why?” Beck asks, looking back up to her.  
“I think we forgot something earlier,” she says and her heart is pounding like crazy by now.  
She puts the cup back on the table and changes her script into her left hand, so her right hand is free.  
This won’t be her first kiss. She has kissed before and not just one boy. But this will be her very first stage kiss. This will be the very first kiss other people watch intently, other people will probably judge over. And this will be the very first kiss with a boy she isn’t on a date with.  
She takes a deep breath. She knows she just has to go for it. She doesn’t want Thomas to make them do this scene again and again the next rehearsal until he is satisfied. She doesn’t want to get critized by her kissing technique by anyone.  
So, she does go for it.  
She leans forward, puts her free hand on Beck’s cheek and pulls him into a kiss.  
For a second, she forgets everything. He returns the kiss, puts his own hand in her neck and she just feels him, feels warmth in every core of her body. Her heart beats even faster now, as their lips meet again in a different position.  
They only pull apart when they hear Thomas’ voice: “And the curtain will go down then. That’s the first act.”  
Jade wants to stand up, so they can change the scene and get into the second act. But she can’t tear her eyes away from Beck’s. And he looks right back.  
She has never felt better during a kiss and she’s almost sure to see that Beck feels the same. At least, he’s also a little stunned.  
“Guys. We have to move the couch away,” Tony pulls Jade out of her thoughts again.  
The others are already moving everything around for the next scene.  
Jade jumps up and steps away. Beck also stands up as he says: “I’m sorry.”  
Then, he looks back at her though with that look in his eyes.... She turns her back to him and takes a deep breath. She knows she’s in trouble.

The second act is the actual fun one with all the heavy stuff.  
And finally it’s time for the final scenes.  
Sam has fallen ill – apparently, as Lindsay of course has poisoned him which is why he grew sicker and sicker over the last two weeks – and now lies on the couch in his apartment.  
Lindsay tells him she will go now when he suddenly whimpers: “I’m not feeling well.”  
Jade tries everything to act like she feels like breaking apart but wants to hide that. She has never had a role in middle school where she had to pretend in character. But she feels like that’s where acting only really starts.  
“I’m sorry,” she says and Beck grabs her hand as Sam as he asks weakly: “Can you stay with me?”  
Jade looks into his eyes and it isn’t hard to promptly turn away and pull her hand from his grip like she is supposed to. “I can’t. I... have to go.”  
She moves away from the couch but stops in her tracks again when Beck says: “Please, Lindsay? Stay.”  
“I really can’t,” she says and tries her best to sound choked up at that. Well, she definitely still has to practice that, she knows. She should get tears in her eyes now but she isn’t fully there yet.  
“How long will it still take?”  
Jade turns back around as Lindsay, widens her eyes as she looks at the sick Sam in surprise.  
Beck almost smiles, hopelessly, and damn, he really is a good actor because this smile isn’t in the script but it fits perfectly. “I know you’ve given me poison over the last few days or even weeks.”  
“You know?” Jade breathes and steps closer again.  
Beck has to take a look at his script again which he has to do surprisingly rarely. “Will it take some more days or only hours now?”  
“For how long have you known?” Jade asks.  
Another weak smile by Beck that fits so perfectly. “I saw you last week messing with my drink.”  
Jade looks at him in disbelief. “Why did you take it?”  
Beck shrugs. “Because I deserve it?”  
Jade goes down on her knees between the coffee table and the couch, shaking her head. “You don’t. It’s just...”  
“I know,” Beck assures her as Sam. “I hope with this we can end the family feud.”  
“It will never end,” Jade answers and somehow, hers and Beck’s free hands find each other and she isn’t entirely sure how it happens, who has initiated it. But it fits.  
Beck acts out a havy breath, then: “How long do I still have?”  
“A day?” Jade suggests, now herself with a weak voice.  
“Can you make it faster?” Beck asks and presses his eyes closed. “It hurts so bad.”  
And she’s glad to see that he also isn’t perfect yet. He doesn’t look like he’s in all that much pain.  
But she can pretend like he is. She nods and now, there are tears in her eyes because she can do this. She makes her hand shakes as she pulls a small bottle out of the pocket of her jeans, opens it and pours some imaginery fluid into Beck’s mouth.  
He grabs his heart and pulls a face which probably is supposed to express all his pain, which doesn’t really work. But her tears are running now.  
“I’m sorry,” she says as weakly as she can and his answer takes a few seconds and is just a breath: “I love you.”  
And it does hurt. Beck may not be good yet in acting out pain but those words just now felt so true and real and it’s like everything inside of her wishes that those words would have been directed at her, not her character. Which is ridiculous.  
“It goes dark, then,” Thomas says and Jade instantly stands up and wipes away her tears. Beck also stands up and helps the others to get the couch and the coffee table off the stage again.  
Tony steps onto the stage while Jade pulls the bottle with the pretend poison out of her pocket again and keeps it in her fist. Then Thomas says: “And the lights go up again.”  
Jade tells Tony as her in-play father that it’s done and he praises her and tells her that it’s finally over, that they’ve done it. And while he’s still talking, Jade breaks down as Lindsay. She lets the bottle with the poison roll out of her hand as her father kneels down next to her, desperately asking what has happened, if she needs a doctor.  
She takes a deep and heavy breath as she says the last lines of the play: “I’m sorry, Dad. This was never supposed to happen, I know. But I want to follow him. ... I love him.”  
“And that’s it!” Thomas calls out and everyone starts to clap as Tony and Jade stand up again. Well, everyone except Jade. It’s not like there is a reason to applaud themselves. They haven’t done a great job yet. It has just been a run through.  
Thomas then says though: “I think it was awesome. And I already want to thank all of you very much because I definitely see my vision coming true. I want only Beck and Jade here for tomorrow’s rehearsal. We will work on your scenes first. I will tell everyone if I need you back next week or of we have to work on their scenes alone for more time. Keep next Wednesday’s afternoon free in any case, okay?”  
Everyone nods and Thomas tells Jade and Beck that he’ll see them tomorrow, then the rehearsal is over.  
Jade shortly glances to Beck who actually looks back at her, then she hurries out of the theater. Damn, Beck really is also an amazing actor. He can’t do anything just like that but it also has been their first rehearsal for this play. And then he’s so ridiculously handsome and nice, has this amazing smile and he even is a great kisser. She still remembers the feeling of his lips on hers although there was a whole second act in between. He is too perfect and she knows he has to be hiding something. Something big. Something that’s really wrong with him. There has to be something.

 

Beck can’t help but think about Jade for the rest of the day.  
He still has to do homework but he finds he can’t even remotely concentrate on it. Jade is on his mind, the damn interesting girl that’s an amazing actress and that has kissed him like nobody has kissed him before. It has made him slightly dizzy and he can almost still feel her lips on his now.  
He is sure she has also felt something, the way she has looked at him after the kiss, but when he sees her in school the next morning and greets her, she ignores him completely. He doesn’t feel too bad about it. After all, they will still spend the whole afternoon together.  
She is already there when he arrives in the Blackbox Theater after his last lesson. Thomas meanwhile isn’t yet.  
Beck puts his bag on the second chair next to the one, Jade has put her bag on. She has already pulled her script out, stands in front of the chair and barely glances up before she keeps reading the script.  
He pulls his own script out of his bag before he tries to start a conversation: “The play is really great, isn’t it?”  
Jade doesn’t look at him but she does answer: “It is.”  
“And I think we work really well together,” he continues because he thinks they do. He hasn’t done many plays yet, not one where he has had a role like this and has had to play one part of a couple or something. But he’s pretty sure that it usually isn’t as easy as it is between them. The fact that Thomas hasn’t been able to cast a Sam until he came along because apparently nobody else has worked as well with Jade as he has, and the fact about how excited Thomas has been after their very first scene, just proves him right. They do have chemistry. A sort of chemistry that surely not everyone has with each other.  
Jade shrugs. “I guess so.”  
Beck wonders if she just doesn’t want to admit it or actually doesn’t feel the same way. But he doesn’t have more opportunity to find out more as that’s the moment Thomas comes in with three of his friends who are responsible for set and lighting and who therefore probably want to hear Thomas’ directions from day one and also possibly put some in on their own. They are also the ones that made sure they already had the most important props yesterday.  
Beck loves how organized they are. He has had a way more disorganized teacher in his drama class in middle school – he brought the last prop on the day of their performance which has annoyed Beck pretty much though he hasn’t showed it too much.  
Thomas now makes them start right away. This time he doesn’t let them go through with any scene. He interrupts them all the time to tell them how to do it differently. Beck has thought he and Jade were pretty good but apparently they were awful. Though Thomas does say at one point: “You’re fine but I’m sorry. I want it as perfect as it can be. Don’t be too offended when I criticize everything.”  
Jade does look pissed some times but she does as she is told. Beck himself hates how often they have to do the scene where they get coffee together. Both their characters also get themselves a croissant they eat while they talk. They aren’t supposed to actually eat anything and also don’t have any props for it (Beck doesn’t know if they still will get something to pretend) – and apparently they are both horrible at pretending to eat something.  
Beck doesn’t think it can look all that horrible and doesn’t think anyone of the audience will ever notice how they pretend to eat which is why it’s going a little on his nerves. On the other hand, Thomas’s tips are great. Thomas does know how to act himself, has been at this school for some time and has either learned already a lot here or is just extremely talented himself.  
And Beck likes that Thomas knows what he wants and tries to get it out of them.  
They end that scene with Thomas saying: “Well... I’m still not fully satisfied. Maybe, we will give you something to eat but I’m not sure if that’ll work. Because then you have to watch to not take a too big of a bite for your next line to give you trouble and stuff. I’ll think about it. Let’s get to the next scene. I hoped we could go over all of your scenes today.”  
Their next scene is of course the scene of their first kiss and Beck already hates the thought that Thomas could critize that kiss as much. The kiss has felt amazing the last time and Beck is sure it also has looked that way. But he also has thought their other scenes were okay and Thomas still has had to say too much about it. Beck doesn’t want him to say anything about his kissing technique.  
On the other hand... That would allow him to kiss Jade again and again...  
He has a little trouble concentrating on the scene but Thomas interrupts them anyway already when Jade comes in, wants them to move differently over the stage.  
It takes a while until they finally get to the kiss. And that is just as amazing as the last one. Jade really goes for it again as Lindsay and Beck hopelessly returns it without really knowing what he’s doing.  
When they break apart again, Thomas nods: “Well... You are young and probably pretty new to stage kissing and I know it’s embarrassing at first talking about it but... You’re in luck because I don’t have to say much about it. If you do exactly that for every performance, it’s perfect.”  
Beck can’t help but smile. Of course, it’s perfect.  
He looks over to Jade who doesn’t return the look but keeps her eyes expectantly on Thomas as if she hasn’t even heard the positive criticism and just waits for the next direction. Whatever is going on in her head. Beck wishes he would know.  
“Then, let’s get into the second act,” Thomas says and that’s what they do.


	3. Love

They don’t get done with their last two scenes and have to continue with those on Wednesday.  
Jade still ignores Beck outside of the theater, even when he tells her hi in the hallways. He watches her though and feels a little creepy, just like before, but he’s really interested in this girl.  
Jade doesn’t seem to talk to anyone – except Cat. Beck doesn’t know or understand how that friendship has happened. He isn’t sure anyone knows or understands as they sometimes appear to be complete opposites and not compatible at all.  
But they spend much of their time together in school and that doesn’t only seem to be on Cat. Beck sees Jade going to Cat’s locker that one time and she may not say anything on her own but she seems to listen as Cat starts to talk.  
Beck wonders how Cat has succeeded in befriending Jade. And he wonders how well Cat actually knows Jade, if Jade has let her in. Beck wants Jade to let him in, to truly let him know her. But she isn’t even answering his greeting.  
On Wednesday, Beck is almost the last one in the theater. Everyone else is back today and Jade and he have to start with their last scenes.  
Not one of them takes their script with them to do them and Beck has to smile about that. He has practiced like crazy to get the whole play down, but especially these last two scenes as he has known he would have to do them today. Apparently, Jade also has done everything to know her lines by heart by now.  
Thomas again critizes a lot and they have to do them again and again while everyone else watches, until he’s finally satisfied: “Okay, great. That’s all of the scene for just the two of you. I hope we have the opportunity to go through all of them a lot more times until the first performance but either way: Practice them on your own and try to remember everything we worked on. I love that you had your lines down for today for those scene. I would say that you, Beck, can go for today. Be back tomorrow though.”  
“I’d like to stay,” Beck says and Thomas makes a gesture to the chairs for the audience where the others also sit: “Feel free to do so. Tony, Jade, I want to work on your scenes next.”  
Beck likes the whole play and knows he won’t get much opportunities to truly watch any scene, so of course he likes to stay. Not to mention that he is interested how Thomas sees every other scene – and how Jade will act out her others. He has only seen her act a little during the first run through. For everything else he has had to play his character too, so he couldn’t really marvel at her acting all that much.  
Now, he leans back and watches her closely. They do many of her others scenes today and Beck is glad to see that Thomas also has to critize everyone else, his friends as well, as much as Jade and Beck.  
Not everyone is off script yet – Jade is for every scene they do today. She does mix up her lines twice by accident and doesn’t remember her next line once but she is the one who is most angry about that. She really takes this seriously and Beck loves it.  
When Jade and Tony have done the final scene of the play, Thomas turns to everyone: “Okay, I think that’s it for today. I want to see everyone here again tomorrow. I’d be happy to have everyone off script then. Either way: Practice at home, yeah?”  
Everyone nods and then, they get going.  
Beck thinks about that as he slowly leaves the theater as well. Yes, Thomas wants them to practice and Beck already has and will. But he has done it alone or has run his lines once with Andre yesterday to make sure he knows them by heart for at least his last two scenes with Jade. It’s much smarter to actually rehearse with another person also in the play. The best surely would be to rehearse with the person who actually plays that other character.  
And why shouldn’t Jade and he practice together?  
Jade obviously also wants to do good here. She will also know that it would be smart to practice together instead of them both doing it on their own. She may not like talking to him for some reason but this play probably will be important enough for her to rehearse with him, won’t it?  
And rehearsing together, just the two of them, would be a great opportunity to actually getting to know her, to talk to her. He knows, he will try it.

 

Jade loves the play. She hates that she apparently doesn’t do anything right but she also loves that Thomas does know how he wants to see everything and is able to directly tell them.  
And well... She does do right one thing: the kiss. She wants to say that that’s because she is a good actress after all but she knows it somehow has to do with Beck and something between them. Ugh.  
Anyway... After she has finished up all her scenes on Thursday, they have to do a few with Beck, her and some others. And then it’s just very few scenes left. Beck has to do two short scenes without Jade and Thomas tells Jade that she can already go for today.  
She also decides to stay to watch. Of course, everyone else is also getting critized by Thomas but they’re doing good and better with every time they have to do a line again. Especially Beck is great. Jade hates it. It’s awful that he really is a good actor. He is concentrated and always realizes and implements Thomas’ ideas extremely fast.  
She hates it because it makes him even more attractive for her. Apparently, she’s a sucker for someone who is good at something she has passion for. Who possibly even has the same passion.  
There are only three other scenes left that Jade isn’t a part of and Beck is neither but Thomas tells them that they will do them next week on Wednesday, then also do the whole play as their first performance is already on that Friday.  
He also reminds them all to practice on their own and Jade is one of the first out of the room. This time, Beck follows her again though and stops her before she has left the building.  
“Hey, Jade,” he calls after her and for a second she considers ignoring him but this isn’t just him greeting her. He obviously wants something from her and it’s not like she wants to be mean to him. She just doesn’t want him to believe there’s something going on between them or that he can have her like he can probably have every other girl in school.  
But maybe, he actually has to say something smart, so she does stop and looks at him expectantly.  
“I thought about how we have most of the scenes together,” Beck says. “Maybe, you wanna rehearse together?”  
Somehow, her first instinct is to say yes and no at the same time. She does want to because that dumb side of her wants to spend time with him and seems to have just waited for a question like this. But she should say no. She doesn’t want to spend more time with him. She doesn’t want to fall for him or something.  
Yet... This oh so perfect guy has to hide something really bad. Maybe, she will find out about it if they spend some time alone. He will let his mask fall and she will finally know what’s wrong with him and her heart won’t have to pound like crazy every time she sees him or thinks about him.  
And it definitely would do them good to rehearse together because they have some of the most important scenes together (next to her and Tony) and they only have two rehearsals left and of course she can also go through all the lines herself but it isn’t the same as to go through them with the person who actually plays the other character.  
Therefore, she shrugs. “Sure.”  
Beck smiles his ridiculously attractive smile. “I have time tomorrow.”  
Jade shrugs again as she also has time tomorrow, and thinks about where to meet best. She doesn’t want him to know where she lives while she also thinks it’s weird to act out their scenes somewhere in public. Also, where best to find out what he’s hiding, what’s wrong about him? “I can come to your house.”  
He writes down his adress for her while they agree on a time.

 

Beck is excited that Jade has actually agreed and is coming to his house. He makes sure his room is presentable and informs his parents that a class mate will come over to go through the play with him. His mother won’t be home anyway because she has to go to some event. But it’s fine for both of them.  
She comes an hour after school has ended with a small bag and he directly leads her into his bedroom. He’s nervous as he watches her look around with raised eyebrows. Well, she is definitely judging over his room but he isn’t sure if the verdict is postive or negative. She is hard to read which makes her even more interesting.  
He suggests for her to sit down on the small couch in his room and he sits down with her.  
His script already lies on the small table in front of the couch. He thinks he knows all his lines but depending on how exactly they want to rehearse, how much they possibly will interrupt the scenes, he will need to take a look into the script.  
Jade actually pulls out her own as well in which she has made several notes as far as Beck can see.  
“Will we just go through our shared scenes chronically?” she asks while Beck still tries to read what exactly she has written into it.  
He nods. “Yeah, think so. I’ve got these for props.” He makes a gesture to the coffee cups also on his table, a small figurine that could pass as her bottle full of poison and a few other things.  
Jade looks over them before she puts her script down and grabs one of the coffee cups. “Then, let’s do it.”  
They do their first scene in the middle of his bedroom without much of a problem. Obviously, they both have taken to heart what Thomas has told them last week about what to change. At least, they both have implemented the changes now and Beck himself thinks it feels much better to do it this way.  
They go into the second scene, sitting on his couch again and after a while Beck runs his hand through his hair. “I’m not sure we do it like we’re supposed to.” He still can’t really grab this whole pretend eating thing and also thinks it doesn’t look real with Jade.  
She makes an annoyed sound and she takes her script into her hand and looks into it. “He made such a big deal out of it.”  
And it sounds like she wants to say that it’s unnecessary, yet he finds: “But he is good.”  
Jade glances up tp him. “He really is.”  
Beck has to smile. He knows by her answer that she really does feel the same way. And it feels like he has known that all along.  
“It’s amazing that he has a vision,” Beck continues.  
Jade nods. “That’s true. He knows what he wants.” For a second, they look at each other, then Jade says: “But let’s get back to this.”  
They do every scene, though they leave out the kiss, both without mentioning it. And they actually start giving each other tips as they go through it and do the scenes a few times. Jade does it first. Instead of her line, she tells him, he should do something differently, and he does because he finds he already trusts her opinion.  
He also gives advice about her acting every now and then after that and she may never thank him or sometimes not even acknowledge much that he has said anything at all but she does always try it the way he suggested the next time.  
It’s after one of their heartfelt scenes close to the end that Beck has to say as he sits back down on the couch: “I think it’s beautiful that they truly love each other.”  
Jade has already sat on the couch and now raises her eyebrows at him. “So you’re one of those.”  
“One of which?” Beck asks.  
Jade rolls her eyes. “One of the idiots who believe in true love.”  
And of course he believes in true love. He also wants to believe in it. He has to. What would life be like if you wouldn’t believe in things like that?  
“You don’t?” he asks interested.  
For a few seconds, they just look at each other before Jade shrugs. Well, and that means she does not not believe in true love. Maybe, she also wants to believe in it at least a little.  
He has to smile. “So, you’re possibly an idiot too.”  
That makes Jade glare at him but that doesn’t let his smile vanish. He shrugs as he explains his thoughts: “Just saying... If you don’t say you don’t believe in true love but everyone who believes in it is stupid, you’re...”  
“Oh, shut up,” Jade interrupts him and his smile gets wider as he sees that there’s possibly also a very small smile on her face.  
Then, she abruptly says: “Either way... I don’t think anyone could fall in love that fast if it is for real.”  
Beck looks down to his script. “I think the play spreads over two months. I think that’s reasonable.”  
Jade tilts her head and narrows her eyes slightly. “Have you been in love then?” Her voice sounds almost soft there.  
“Not yet,” Beck confesses. “But I hope I can love someone as much some day.”  
“Ugh,” Jade answers to Beck’s surprise and now raising her eyebrows again. “As much that you would just let yourself be killed by them?”  
Beck shrugs. “Yeah, sure.”  
He wants to trust someone so much that he would lay his life in their hands. He wants to love someone so much that he will trust them with anything.  
Though actually letting someone take your life of course is something very difficult – and it is different in this case.  
So, after Jade makes another “ugh”, he continues: “Though it obviously isn’t just about love in this case.”  
“It isn’t,” Jade agrees without hesitation. Still. Having your life get taken is something drastic but he still wants to love as deeply, as unconditionally.  
“But don’t you ever want to be in love with someone as much that you would... let anything happen?” he asks.  
Jade actually almost shudders as she answers: “That sounds horrifying.”  
Yet... If she wants to believe at least a little in true love, she must also want that, doesn’t she?  
He watches her as she pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face, returning his look. Finally, she asks: “Do you really want to love someone like that?”  
“Yeah,” he earnestly says. “And of course be loved back like that.” To love and be loved like that must feel incredible.  
Jade doesn’t seem convinced. “So, you want a girl to follow you to death out of love?”  
He has to chuckle. “No. That sounds melodramatic.” Because it does. He doesn’t want a Romeo and Juliet kind of love story.  
Jade also smirks. “It’s stupid.”  
But the thing is that that of course happens in the play they star in. Sam has other reasons to take death out of Lindsay’s hands but love is of course one of the reasons. And Lindsay does kill herself to follow him, purely out of love.  
“Why did you take the role then?” he asks interested.  
“Who wouldn’t take any role as a freshman,” she answers but he may not really know her... he doesn’t believe that’s the only reason for her to take the role. She must have seen something in Lindsay, in the whole play. Jade doesn’t seem to be a person to just take any role. Beck also wouldn’t do that. It has to fit. It has to be something he feels for. He’s sure it’s the same for Jade, maybe even more so.  
“Come on,” he therefore says. “You wouldn’t have just taken any role.”  
Jade looks at him for a few seconds at that, then: “I think she’s an interesting character.”  
“She is,” Beck agrees. But not only Lindsay is an interesting character. Jade is even more interesting. He can imagine that she has found something in Lindsay’s darkness and conflict. And maybe also in her love.  
He has to smile again and for another few seconds, they just look at each other, then Jade looks back to the script, to the watch around her wirst and to the script again. “My mom will pick me up soon. If we’re fast we can do the last scene at least once.”  
They do hurry at the beginning of the last scene but obviously both feel like it’s wrong, even though it’s their very private rehearsal and noone will care how stupid the scene looks and sounds this way. But both get slower and actually do the scene, but only once, then Jade packs up quickly and they both go downstairs.  
Jade already leaves the house when a car pulls into the driveway.  
“See you on Monday,” Beck calls after Jade as she goes to the car. Apparently, she’s back to ignoring him though, at least she doesn’t look back or say anything as she gets into the car and it pulls away.


	4. Date

Yes, Jade is definitely in trouble.  
She has thought, she would go there on Friday afternoon and finally find a good reason to totally hate Beck. But he’s still sickenly perfect. And the way he has talked about love... It makes her almost long for him to love her the way he described it. She hates it.  
She almost doesn’t get him out of her mind the whole weekend and is even glad when Cat calls on Sunday to talk to her – which she has never before been glad about because Cat has this talent to not be able to stop talking.  
Jade lets her run with it this Sunday, listening to her for hours and hours (well, she does do other things next to it but she also listens as she would never stop listening without saying; she is honest after all).  
She ignores Beck again at school. Or tries her best to do it. She can’t help but watch him in between. Gosh, there has to be something wrong with him, right? He has to hide something. There is no person that’s that perfect.  
She would almost like to punch him for every time he notices him looking at her and smiles. It’s as if he knows that she’s attracted to him and she hates it because he isn’t supposed to know.  
At their last Wednesday’s rehearsal, Thomas first goes through the last scenes they haven’t talked about yet, then he makes them do the whole play but interrupts them all the time to critize again.  
“Okay, people,” he then finally says. “I’m very happy with what we have achieved so far. Please still practice as much as you can. I see all of you tomorrow.”  
Jade walks from the stage, where she has just performed the last scene for the day, to the chair her bag lies on which she takes. She directly wants to leave but then, Beck is already next to her.  
“Wanna grab some food together?” he asks her.  
The others around them start talking and leaving as well.  
She slowly turns to Beck. He wants to grab food together. She can imagine where he wants this to go but she asks anyway: “To rehearse?”  
Beck looks at her intently as if he’s trying to read her while he suggests: “As a date?”  
“No,” she instantly answers because she won’t date this guy. She can’t. And he can’t believe that he can get every girl.  
She starts leaving but Beck doesn’t seem discouraged at all. He hurries to walk along beside her as he suggests: “Then to rehearse?”  
Yeah, really funny, Beck. But... Maybe she should agree to another rehearsal. They can definitely use another one and... She got to know Beck better last Friday. If she now gets to be alone with him again, maybe she finally does find out what he’s hiding. There has to be something after all. And as long as he knows it’s not a date...  
“Yeah,” she agrees and as she fleetingly glances to him, she sees as big happy smile spreading over his face.  
He suggests the pizza place down the street but she definitely doesn’t want pizza, so she tells him they’ll go to the sushi place next to it which may not be good but they have limited options without a car or anything.  
He agrees, so that’s where they go.  
They sit in a corner of the place and do run through their scenes while they eat, though of course not nearly as they are supposed to do them. They do every one of them sitting down after all and don’t rise their voices too much. They do use the intonation, they are supposed to, and touch almost always like they are supposed to though they leave out the kiss again.  
“I think we’ll do really good,” Beck confidently says in the end and Jade definitely also feels that way.  
To be honest: “If Thomas doesn’t get an A for this play, I will kill someone.” Because the whole play is great. It’s well written and everyone on it is really good – especially her and Beck who play the main characters.  
Beck smiles. “I’ll help you hide the body.”  
She looks him over, then smirks. “You wouldn’t dare hurting a fly.” He’s one of those people who will probably always choose words before any kind of violence. Which she has to roll her eyes over a little bit but it still doesn’t make him less attractive.  
He shrugs and answers earnestly: “Probably not.”  
“Wimp,” she says and curiously he doesn’t look offended at all.  
Instead, he tilts his head, still with a smile, and claims: “Some people thinks it’s a testament of what a great person someone is, if they aren’t able to hurt anyone.”  
“Yeah, right,” Jade shoots back. “And some people think being pushed around is fun.”  
That somehow makes his smile even wider and the way he watches her... She has to ask him harshly: “What?”  
He shrugs again. “I just think it’s good that we met outside the usual rehearsal. Not only to rehearse some more but also to get to know each other at least a little bit. We have to play people who fall in love with each other. I think it’s good for our chemistry that we actually know each other at least a little.”  
“Chemistry isn’t something you can work on,” Jade says because it just isn’t. Either it’s there or it isn’t. Like attraction. You can only possibly fake it if you’re good.  
“No,” Beck agrees. “But I think it will come across that we have exchanged at least a few private words. I mean... We have had chemistry with each other from the beginning on either way.”  
They have had. They obviously do act well together. Which annoys her even more because... he does make her feel safe on stage. She has noticed that as they have done the run through today. She feels good on stage either way, she loves it. But she has never felt so at ease on stage as she has with Beck. Because it’s so easy doing the scenes with him, falling in those roles.  
But that makes something inside of her like him even more and she doesn’t want that.  
She looks at her watch and is almost relieved to see how late it already is. Though she’s also surprised because she doesn’t feel like she has been here with him for that long already.  
“Whatever,” she says as she pulls her back up into her lap. “I have to get going.”  
“Oh, yeah, sure. Let me pay,” he says as he sees her pulling out money.  
He gets his own money but she won’t do this. “No. This isn’t a date,” she states.  
“I can still pay,” he says but she won’t let him pay and possibly believe that they have been on a date after all.  
“No,” she therefore says, puts her money on the table, stands up and leaves while Beck says, curiously still with a smile: “See you tomorrow.”

 

He likes the way Jade behaves. It amuses and impresses him at the same time. Because it is funny and he also always loves people who know what they want. He definitely has the feeling that Jade is a person like that.  
She’s great and he honestly likes her. He has the impression that she likes him too. It’s something in her eyes. Yet, she has rejected him for a date.  
He also does remember though how she has said she thought that whole unconditional love thing sounds horrifying. Could she be afraid of falling for him? Is that it?  
It has to be something else, he’s sure. And he does want to know the reason because he really likes this girl, is really interested in her and does believe she’s interested in him too.  
They have their dress rehearsal on Thursday. Thomas doesn’t interrupt them at all this time, just watches and gives them some pointers again in the end but mainly praises them and tells them to do it like that tomorrow and everything will be fine. He also tells them when they have to be there, which things to keep in mind for their first performance.  
Then, they’re already free to go again and Beck instantly goes over to Jade.  
“Wanna grab some food again?” he asks her.  
She looks at him with raised eyebrows. “We don’t need more rehearsal or to get to know each other any better. Our first performance is tormorrow.”  
Of course, they also have gotten to know each other the last two times they have met up, though they have primarily ran their lines together. It’s not only the few words they have exchanged as themselves. It’s also about the lines. He has seen how she gets into character, how easy she can transition in and out of it. He has just seen her work in something she obviously really likes.  
And it’s true that they don’t need to do any of that for the play anymore. It won’t make that much of a difference anymore. But she has to know he doesn’t only want to meet her for the play.  
“Why don’t you want to go on a date with me?” he directly ask.  
She looks at him and shrugs. “Because I don’t.” Then, she leaves him behind and walks away.  
He looks after her.  
Well, so she just don’t. It’s not like he wants to force her on a date or something. Therefore, he won’t ask her again. Though he has to say... If he will get another chance to talk to her, he will.

 

Their opening night is fantastic. The audience consits mostly of their teachers and classmates and funnily enough they are a much better audience than everyone’s families in her middle school performances.  
They have an after party at the pizza place down the street and all of them go.  
Jade sits in a booth with Tony and Thomas for a while and it’s when they go along to talk to some of the others that Beck sits down with her.  
“I thought I’d come by and drink with you on our first performance at Hollywood Arts,” he says and raises the glass he has brought with him.  
She clinks it with her own because why not? She is extremely happy that it has gone so well and that everyone has loved it.  
They both take a sip before Beck continues: “It was awesome.”  
It definitely was. Though she has to mention it: “Except that we messed up.”  
There has been that one scene where they stayed at Sam’s door though they were supposed to directly move into the apartment. It’s important to actually be inside of the apartment for later in the scene.  
Somehow, both of them have just stayed right at the door but they have noticed their mistake only a few words into their conversation without Thomas having to cough loudly or anything to remind them. She has seen in Beck’s eyes that he has noticed it too at the same moment she has and they have easily moved further onto the stage into the supposed apartment without having it seem awkward or missing one of their lines.  
Thomas hasn’t even mentioned it in front of Jade just now. It still annoys her a little to have missed something.  
Beck shrugs. “I think we were good in covering it up.” Of course, he has also instantly known what exactly she was talking about.  
“We were,” she agrees because it is true though she still hates that she has done something wrong at all. “Better than Liza.”  
Liza is also in the show and actually has messed up her lines. Tony is obviously a great actor as he has been able to improvise around it, so it still made sense.  
Beck looks shortly around as if to check if Liza sits close which isn’t the case. Then he says: “That wasn’t good. I really thought that would ruin the whole performance.”  
“Right?” she answers because she had stood on stage at the same time and really hadn’t felt able to defuse the situation if that would’ve happened in a scene with just her. Which also annoys her but she does hope that that’s something she will still learn in this school.  
Beck mentions the brilliance of Tony and how he reminds him of an actor out of a movie he has recently watched and somehow, they actually start talking about movies and theater and art in general.  
It’s surprisingly easy to talk to him. She knows he also feels at ease. She has watched him after all at least a little over the last few days and she knows he also isn’t usually one to talk all that much. He talks now, tells her all about his favorite movies and actors, his favorite genres and songs, but still listens all the same interested when she talks about her favorite things.  
His laugh sickenly makes her heart run faster, and he laughs quite a few times. Not at her but with her, even when she talks about her favorite scene out of a horror movie she has recently watched or something.  
Others come by their table and sit down with them as well for some time, especially Thomas comes back and tells them again that they did amazing and he would love to see that for the other three performances as well.  
But they are talking alone most of the time and it’s already late when Jade finally looks to her watch again.  
“I guess I have to go to catch my bus home,” she says and Beck nods: “Yeah, sure. We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway, huh?”  
They will as they have their second performance tomorrow afternoon.  
They both stand up and somehow, Beck manages to hug her without her thinking it’s weird or feeling the need to push him away. Well... She also has hugged Cat earlier, right after the performance after Cat had watched it and had been so happy for her. Jade had been extremly happy as well and it had just happened.  
She still feels weirdly happy and she guesses that’s why Beck can just hug her as well and she doesn’t feel uncomfortable but rather the opposite about it. It has been an amazing first performance and the after party has been great as well.  
When she lies in bed at night though, she can’t get that hug and the long talk out of her head and she knows she actually has fallen for him. How stupid can she be?


	5. Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the last chapter!  
> Thank you everyone for reading, for the kudos and for the bookmarks. I hope you had as much fun with this as I had.  
> Until we meet again. ;)

Their Saturday’s performance runs smoother than their Friday’s performance. The audience isn’t as good though but it’s still fun.  
They also don’t have an after party this time but Thomas tells all of them they’ve done a good job, that they should enjoy their free Sunday and that he will see them on Monday afternoon again for their third performance.  
They change back into their own clothes and Jade wants to leave when Beck stops her. “Hey. Wanna grab some food?”  
She looks at him for a while. She considers just saying no. As soon as this play is over, she can easily avoid him again. And maybe that’s what she should do. She should avoid him now as much as she can, and totally ignore him again in half a week.  
But she knows Beck is hiding something. He’s too perfect in every possible way. He is sickenly handsome, loves acting and is good at it, has interesting opinions about all kind of movies, also likes some of her favorite movies and is interested in the rest of them, has a good sense of style, has a great smile and laugh and seems to get better at kissing every time their lips meet for a performance – and he hasn’t been bad the first time at all.  
He definitely hides something, something that’s deeply wrong with him. And as soon as she’ll find that, she can go over to hating on this Beck guy and everything will be alright again.  
So... Why not spending more time with him and get to the bottom of this?  
“Yeah,” she therefore answers and there is his smile again.  
They go to the sushi place again and actually talk all the way through dinner. Jade tries to slowly find out more about Beck, asks him different things but there is absolutely no answer that makes him less attractive.  
As she casually mentions her butterfly collection, he may say that he couldn’t do that himself but he still smiles and doesn’t suddenly seem uninterested in her.  
She doesn’t know what to do when she’s back home.

 

Beck has a calm Sunday which he uses to watch one of the horror movies Jade has told him about which sounded amazingly good. It is really scary and just as well-acted as Jade has promised.  
They have a class together on Monday where Jade usually ignores him. Neither Cat nor Andre or Robbie are in that class and Beck uses the chance to sit down next to Jade.  
“Hi,” he says and for a second, he thinks she will ignore him again but she does answer: “Hey.”  
It would have thrown him off this time if she would’ve ignored him again. After all, they have talked all Friday evening and have grabbed dinner together on Saturday. And when he asked her to get dinner with him, she didn’t even question why this time, unlike last Thursday. And they even have hugged which he still has to smile about because it was close and actually real unlike their stage kisses.  
“How was the rest of your weekend?” he asks.  
She shrugs. “Fine. Though I had to work on a presentation for my next class the whole day yesterday.”  
Beck doesn’t know if Jade always does her work at the last minute but he can imagine her wanting to do it earlier but they both haven’t had much time with their performances and rehearsing for it. He has had the luxury that he hasn’t gotten much homework over the last week which is why he has had so much time yesterday.  
And he has just waited to tell her, so he now says: “Too bad. I for one had much time and used it to watch a movie that someone recommended as ‘highly creepy with a few of the best actors they know’.”  
That makes Jade finally truly look at him, not just shortly glance. She raises her eyebrows but her eyes seem to light up at the same time. “You did?”  
“I did,” he says happily. “And I loved it.”  
There is that pure smile on her face that he has achieved to put there before and which makes him feel unbelievingly warm and happy. But she still speaks in a casual tone: “It’s a great movie. How did you like the scene where the sister got stabbed?”  
She hasn’t told him before which scene she liked best but he has known she loved it as he has watched it. Therefore, he has to grin.  
“That was horrifying,” he admits. “Though I don’t even understand why she was in that room.”  
Jade looks at him judgingly. “Because she was curious.”  
Beck shrugs. “I would’ve stayed far away from all of that.”  
Jade smirks. “Yeah, because you’re a wimp.”  
Beck doesn’t feel offended in the slightest. Because Jade also looks more amused than anything else. And he has already learned that this is just the way she talks. And he likes it. He likes the harshness of her words that isn’t really harsh at all if you listen closely enough.  
“Better being a wimp than being stabbed, right?” he says with a smile and she makes a “pfft” but also seems amused.  
And it seems like she wants to say more about it but at that moment the teacher comes in. Beck has never been more annoyed by the start of a lesson.  
When class is over, Jade is the first out of the room but at least he knows they’ll see each other again after school for their third performance.

 

They don’t really talk about anything else than the performance itself and Beck absolutely has to get home after to do homework and get to bed as they have school the next day.  
They also doesn’t get the chance to talk to each other the next morning as they don’t share a class on Tuesday though they pass each other in the hall. Beck greets her and actually gets a “hey” back which he considers a win as well.  
After their performance on Tuesday they have another after party though of course they also all have school on Wednesday again. But it’s their last performance after all and Thomas buys all of them a drink and two big pizzas they share at the same place they were on Friday.  
Somehow, without them even talking, Jade and he go to the place together and sit down together. Beck isn’t sure if Jade realizes what she’s doing, that she’s keeping at his side. He hasn’t even realized it until they already sit that they have kept together. It makes him smile now and as soon as Thomas has congratulated all of them on a great performance and has thanked them, telling them he has already gotten his grade this morning and has gotten an A for it, he turns to Jade: “So, apparently, we will be in the same acting class next year.”  
Sikowitz has already watched their first performance but has been there for today’s as well. Right after the last bow, he has come down and has told Jade and Beck, who have naturally stood together after the bow, that he truly thought they were amazing actors and that he will definitely try having them in the same class of his for next year. Apparently, he wants the school to work their other lessons around it, so it will fit, because he thinks they act really well together.  
That made Beck grin brightly and still makes him feel happy. Even their acting teacher think they are great – and that they work well together which they absolutely do.  
Jade doesn’t mention anything about what Sikowitz has said, but dryly says: “Sikowitz is the weirdest teacher I have ever had.”  
Beck chuckles. “Right? But I like how he talks about acting. He really feels it.” He doesn’t know how else to describe it, how else to describe how he sees Sikowitz.  
But Jade seems to understands anyway: “He does. He’s a good teacher.”  
They share a brief smile and then start talking about their other teachers – who Jade doesn’t seem to like at all for the most part which makes Beck laugh again and again.  
Both of them only stay for an hour but they easily talk all the way through again. Then, Jade says: “I have to catch my bus.”  
“I’ll leave with you,” Beck says. His mother will come in half an hour to pick him up but he guesses he can also wait for her bus with Jade before calling his mother to pick him up early. He also likes the rest of the cast but it’s going so great with Jade and he wants to use every last second with her.  
He can’t imagine that she will ignore him again coming tomorrow but they aren’t together in any play anymore then and maybe she will get back to ignoring him. At the moment, she talks to him, laughs with him...  
They say goodbye to everyone else before they leave together.  
They talk at the bus stop as well and it’s after another while that Jade says: “That’s mine.”  
She looks to the bus driving up to them now and well... That’s that.  
“We’ll see each other in school, huh?” he asks and wishes she would say they could also meet up alone after school again or something but she doesn’t.   
“I guess so,” she says though and they look at each other and...  
He doesn’t exactly know how it happens. But suddenly, their lips meet and it’s not like it’s for the first time but it’s for the first time without it being scripted. And though he wouldn’t have deemed it possible, it feels even better than every kiss on stage.  
When they finally break apart, the bus has already stopped next to them and has opened its doors.  
They look in each others eyes for another second before Jade turns around to step onto the bus. She doesn’t even glance at him again while he looks after her and the bus, a probably too goofy smile on his face.

 

So, that has happened. They have kissed. Not for the play.  
Jade doesn’t know how it has happened. She doesn’t know who has initiated it. But she knows, they both have done it.  
She doesn’t get much sleep that night as she thinks about what to do. She’s still sure he’s hiding something. He has to. Something that’s so terribly wrong because no person can be that sickenly perfect. It scares her and she hates to be scared for real more than anything else.  
Next morning, she sees him in school. He stands at his locker, talking to one of his friends. But there’s also a girl standing with him, some sophomore who obviously flirts with Beck.  
He smiles at her as he talks to her, flirts back, which honestly annoys Jade.  
The thing is though that at one point he notices Jade who stands at her own locker, waiting for Cat actually, and he gives her a much brighter smile.  
And he just keeps looking back to her, every now and then, while he still talks to his friend and that girl.  
Well... So, it isn’t like he just wanted a kiss out of her or something. He does seem to like her though they have spend some time together now, have talked about so many things already. He truly likes her. And she likes him.  
Maybe, he’s fine after all. Maybe, everything’s alright with him. But what if it isn’t? She already feels like she has let her guard down way too much with him. She has somehow accidently hugged him on one day and accidently kissed him on another. She has talked to him about things she enjoys and likes.  
But if she has already let her guard down so far... How much more can actually happen? Whatever he’s hiding... She will probably feel hurt either way as soon as she finds out at this point. So, why not try enjoying the time until that happens? They will obviously go to school together for some more years, be in more classes together, will definitely meet again and again. Maybe, she should just go for it and watch what happens. Enjoy the ride and get off as soon as she has to.  
She watches how his friend leaves and he stays behind with the girl. Heck. She’ll go for it.  
She takes a deep breath before she walks up to him.

Tracy has randomly come up to him again and he’s sure she wants more from him but he never knows how to turn a girl down if they haven’t even asked for a date or something. But he isn’t interested in her at all.  
The whole conversation gets a whole lot easier though when he sees Jade at her locker, seemingly waiting for someone or something. And she watches them.  
He has to smile as their eyes meet. He sill remembers their kiss too well. It has kept him up at night and he has wondered if they would talk about it, if she would even show that it has happened. He doesn’t know what she’s thinking but he’s happy to see her in any case. He really likes this girl like he has never liked any other before.  
And it’s after Andre has left him and Tracy alone when Jade suddenly walks up to them.  
He has no idea what will happen but he’s excited nonetheless, feels his heart beating too fast.  
He doesn’t even remember Tracy next to him when Jade has stepped up to him, has cupped his face with her hands and has pulled him in for a close kiss.  
Of course, he returns the kiss, feels almost desperate doing it, and when she breaks apart from him again, he feels more dizzy than after any of their previous kisses, and he’s sure that’s what she has wanted to achieve.  
She looks him intently into his eyes as she raises her eyebrows slightly. “Wanna go on a date?”  
“Absolutely,” he answers without hesitation because there’s nothing he wants more at this very second. He wants to date this girl, to get to know her, to get closer to her.  
Somewhere deep inside, he probably already knows that she’s the love of his life.

Jade keeps searching for the thing he’s hiding, the thing that’s wrong with him. She soon claims it’s him being Canadian but who cares where you’re from?  
They get together after four months of dating and say their first I Love You’s, so unconditionally and truthfully, and it’s so easy to say it at the same time. It warms her heart every time to hear him say it.  
She finally settles on the fact that him patiently loving her of all people in the beautiful way he has dreamed of loving someone, is exactly what’s wrong with him. It doesn’t scare her though. Instead, it makes her feel truly safe.


End file.
